Inside the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge

It has pools, ice rinks, workout areas and a self-serve library.

By Victoria Lessard

February 06, 2018

Photograph by Victoria Lessard

On February 1, the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge was feted in a grand opening celebration. This new location is the largest YMCA facility in the world. However, this exciting distinction will apply for only twelve months, until the Seton facility is completed and it becomes the largest.

Calgary outdoing itself for the title of the largest YMCA facility in the world seems a distinctly Calgarian thing to do — in a city that is constantly striving and changing and growing, it seems to expect no less from its recreation facilities. If the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge is doing one thing, it is growing. Shannon Doram, president and CEO of YMCA Calgary, relayed at the grand opening that membership has already skyrocketed to 9,741 members as of January 31, 2018.

It is no wonder people are excited to join. The new facility offers numerous spaces and services, including a lane pool, a wave pool, three gymnasiums, a workout area, two ice rinks (one is NHL-sized, the other is a leisure rink), a climbing wall, a theatre that seats 250 people, and art studios, among many other features. The Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge also features an express library – the first one to open in Calgary. The library is self-serve, and features a futuristic holds area that will have people taking out books just for the fun of picking them up. Outside of the facility, a group of birds take flight, permanently soaring through the air in Haddad|Drugan’s Flock (2017), an art installation that sits across from the building.

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Photograph by victoria Lessard

Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge is approximately 284,000 square feet.

Photograph by Victoria Lessard

The theatre seats 250 people.

Photograph by Victoria Lessard

The view from the theatre shows a walkway through the surrounding area.

Photograph by Victoria Lessard

One of two ice rinks at the facility, this rink is NHL-sized.

photograph by Victoria Lessard

The second ice rink is designated as a leisure rink.

photograph by Victoria Lessard

One of three gymnasiums available for activities.

photograph by Victoria Lessard

The facility features the newest branch of the Calgary Public Library – an express library.

Last summer, the 4th Avenue flyover space featured a street mural and temporary patio furniture, ping pong tables and foosball tables. The plan is to eventually feature trees, a plaza, outdoor furniture, a boardwalk, play areas and a flood-mitigating rain garden.